Murdo Fraser MSP has welcomed a report from the Scottish Women’s Convention (SWC) and has urged that policy makers at all levels to pay attention to the report’s findings.
The Scottish Conservative politician was commenting on the damning findings of the Perth Roadshow Report, which was based on the SWC team visiting Perth City Centre in May, when they took part in various roundtable meetings with local women. As a result, the women raised issues about health, education, employment and community.
During their trip to Perth, the SWC noted that the women they spoke to have a ‘general positive outlook,’ but some issues were identified across sectors.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “I very much welcome this very interesting and insightful report from the SWC. There was mention of how Perth and Kinross consistently performs well at a national level across health outcomes and it also highlighted how the region’s education levels are high, but it did point to a lot of shortcomings, namely women were critical of poor access to healthcare, highlighting long waiting lists, difficulty in organising GP appointments and centralised secondary care services.
“SWC found that this situation was made more difficult by continued medical misogyny and a lack of knowledge surrounding women’s health. I was concerned to learn that SWC found that poor education linked heavily with discussions surrounding employment – with women they talked to explaining that the quality and availability of work had reduced, causing mass youth scarcity. To counter this, women told SWC they hoped for an increase in tourism and recreational activities.”
Mr Fraser continued: “It was notable that the Perth Roadshow Report flagged up other areas of concern, including women identifying gynaecological and dental assessments as two areas of particular concern and stating that poor public transport provision was also recognised as a barrier to healthcare access. I was particularly concerned to learn that some women told SWC that the ‘overload experience’ across the NHS put them off seeking support.
“And I was very interested to find out that the report says many women expressed disappointment at the poor emphasis placed on tourism in Perth and Kinross, believing that the natural scenery and history of the area were untapped resources. I was pleased that the SWC would like targeted work across Perth City Centre to enable the creation of new business, aligning with the wants of women.
“In addition, SWC raised the issue of poor broadband digital connectivity in the region – a subject that is still raised by many of my constituents. In the report, SWC say that Perth and Kinross has a gigabit capable broadband coverage of 44.9% compared to the national average of 83.7%, and 5G coverage of only 35.3% compared to 94.2% across the UK. This data is absolutely shocking and must be addressed by the Scottish Government.
“I have lodged a Motion on the report at the Scottish Parliament in which I urge policy makers at all levels to pay attention to the report’s findings.”
